Weezing, vomit, needy kitty (post radioiodine)

[cdo44]

Hello All-

About a year ago, our kitty was diagnosed with Hyperthyroid. After much tribulation, we decided to have radioiodine treatment. She made it through the treatment with flying colors and, in her latest vet visit (last week), all her vitals were completely normal.

That said, she has recently started to worry us. Over the last few months, she has become unusually affectionate bordering on needy (can't sit down without her running up to be petted) and has been dry heaving. She doesn't actually vomit very often (maybe once per week) but seeing her wheezing away is very disconcerting. The vet did say that she noticed a heart murmur and that we should set up an appointment with a cardiologist. We were going to wait a few days because taking her to the vet is so tramatic (for her and us) but we are looking to make an appointment soon.

I have two questions: 1) what should we ask the vet. 2) we kind of want to switch vets, anyone know a good one on the east side of NYC?

Oh, our kitty is 10.

Thank you very much.

[AddFran]

Would Nassau County, Long Island be too far for your to travel? I have a really good one.

[cdo44]

Hi AddFan-

Yeah, that would be too far. We don't have a car. Ideally, the place would be in the upper 90s to lower 100s on the East Side of Manhattan. But thank you!

PS. We are actually very happy with the radioiodine treatment. Our kitty, Loki, was losing all her hair and had lost a lot of weight. We were totally freaked.

She was diagnosed with hyprothyroid. There are basically two treatments. The first was to give her a pill a day for the rest of her life (which would NEVER have worked cause our kitty doesn't like pills and is too smart for us to trick her) or the radioiodine. The issue with radioiodine is that it is very intense and pretty expensive. However, it was the only way.

Loki rebounded and has been great ever since. We just past the one year mark and her T levels are totally normal! However, in the last two months she has developed this wheezing, hack. It is like she has a hairball, but she doesn't (she's a short hair and almost never gets hairballs. In fact, I can't think of the the last time.)

I've been reading up and people have said everything from heartworms and hook worms (but she is an inside cat in Manhattan so don't think these are really the case) to an allergy (most likely. I think I am allergic to the Upper East Side as well...)

Anyway, we took her in to the vet and the vet didn't seem to think the hacking as anything to worry about. We want a second opinion.

[cdo44]

We are taking out kitty to Keatings Animal Hospital on the Upper East Side of Manhattan tomorrow. She was doing better, but the last two nights she has had weezing attacks.

They are very much like a hairball that won't come out. Sometimes, she would vomit a little liquid, but mostly she just weezes for about a minute. Also, she has never had a hairball. However, I have heard of cats needing surgery to get out a really tricky hairball.

Anyway, I am hoping this vet helps. I'll let you all know the outcome.